Fire Damage

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT FIRE DAMAGE

A garage fire in a Costa Mesa neighborhood forced an entire apartment complex to empty as firefighters fought to extinguish the 20-foot flames. About 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters were called to a Costa Mesa apartment complex at 291 Avocado St. to extinguish a blaze that ignited at the rear of the complex. Police blocked off both sides of the street as up to three engines full of firefighters rushed to the unattached garage and knocked down the flames while cutting a hole in the roof.

NEWPORT BEACH ? A fire near John Wayne Airport gutted almost half of a seven-unit business complex Sunday afternoon, destroying a barber shop, flower shop and a law office, fire authorities said. The remaining businesses at Commerce Plaza at 4100 Birch Street have been closed and yellow-flagged until further notice, according to fire officials. Thirty-nine firefighters from Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana and the Orange County Fire Authority responded to the fire which was reported at 2:18 p.m. The blaze was extinguished in about 30 minutes, said Jenn Shulz, Newport Beach Fire spokeswoman.

BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Fire causes damage to mobile home An attic fire in a mobile home in Newport Beach on Monday morning caused $40,000 worth of damage. Twenty-three firefighters from Newport Beach and the Orange County Fire Authority responded to the blaze at the Bayside Villas, which occurred around 11:40 a.m. The fire, which was mostly confined within the attic area over the kitchen, was caused by a halogen lamp in the kitchen, according to a press release.

Man arrested for attempted assault Costa Mesa Police Friday morning arrested a Long Beach man on suspicion of attempted rape outside a bar. Sedric Degram, 23, was arrested just after midnight after he allegedly tried to sexually assault a woman he met in Pierce Street Annex on 17th Street, Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Marty Carver said. The two had met inside the bar, then went outside by the Ralphs supermarket and started kissing, Carver said. Degram allegedly became aggressive and tried to assault her, but she got away after a struggle, he said.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department's Arson Investigation Team on Wednesday was investigating the cause and origin of an early-morning structure fire on Rochester Street, department officials said in a news release. No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported, and the occupants of the single-family dwelling at 156 Rochester St. safely evacuated the structure after being alerted by their smoke detector, the release said. The fire caused a preliminary total of $35,000 in estimated damage to the structure and its contents.

Nearly four-fifths of an inch of rain fell on Southern California Friday, and while failing to cause flash floods or prompt evacuations in the Newport-Mesa community, the downpour kept emergency workers busy responding to traffic accidents and other concerns. Newport Beach experienced an abrupt jump in traffic accidents, said Police Sgt. Jeff Brouwer, noting that it was “pretty much non-stop” for several hours during the height of the storm Monday. “There have been well over 10 in the past hour, easily,” he said at noon Friday.

The abrupt appearance of Santa Ana winds early Sunday kept firefighters in the Newport-Mesa area busy. One Corona del Mar home narrowly escaped getting engulfed in flames Sunday morning after a power line loosened by the intense Santa Ana winds set the wood shake roof of the residence ablaze, firefighters said. A greater and imminent disaster was averted through the quick actions of Newport Beach Fire Capt. Jerry Strom, who arrived after receiving a call about loose power lines.

Six-year-old Emily Anastos should have been sleeping at 8:15 p.m. Monday night. Her older brothers were in charge while her parents ran a quick errand. Missing her mom and dad, Emily called them to ask if she could go to sleep in their bedroom instead of her own. But Emily couldn't fall asleep. She went to the window of her family's Newport Beach home and looked out over the roof and backyard of her neighbor's house. She likes to watch the "puppies" ? her neighbor's dogs ?

Having fully contained a four-day brush fire in the Verdugo Mountains, Burbank Fire officials remained cautious Tuesday that high winds may reignite the flames. After more than 1,000 firefighters from multiple agencies were called in to fight the 1,100-acre fire, less than 50 remained on the scene Tuesday. Those crews were working 100 feet inside the line established around the burned area and will be there for several more days, Burbank Fire Capt.